Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today introduced the SurePrint G3 Human CGH+SNP microarray platform, an innovative system for simultaneous analysis of chromosomal copy number changes and copy-neutral aberrations. The system allows researchers to study the genetic basis of developmental disorders as well as many cancers.

This is the only two-color CGH platform that can detect loss of heterozygosity/uniparental disomy (LOH/UPD) with 5- to 10-megabase resolution.

"Finally, we have an array that has optimal copy number detection, including the potential for exon-by-exon coverage, that also has SNPs to detect absence of heterozygosity [AOH] caused by UPD or consanguinity," said Dr. Arthur Beaudet, chairman of the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine.

"We're excited to be adding SNP probes to our widely used CGH arrays, resulting in a powerful, highly efficient tool for detecting both copy number changes and copy-neutral LOH/UPD, delivering a more complete profile of genomic aberrations," said Anniek De Witte, Agilent product manager, CGH Microarrays. "Resolution, accuracy and sensitivity continue at the same high levels that researchers have come to expect from our CGH offering."

The Agilent SurePrint G3 CGH+SNP arrays are available in both catalog and custom designs, similar to our current array formats. Custom microarrays can be readily designed in eArray, Agilent's free Web-based application, or eArray XD, the desktop version.

Both the catalog SurePrint CGH+SNP 4x180K and 2x400K microarrays measure approximately 60,000 SNPs, resulting in approximately 5- to 10-megabase resolution for LOH/UPD detection across the entire genome. The approximately 120,000 CGH probes on the catalog 4x180K arrays consist of the International Standards for Cytogenomic Arrays Consortium's (http://isca.genetics.emory.edu) entire 8x60K version probe set and an additional 60,000 backbone probes. The approximately 300,000 CGH probes on the catalog 2x400K array are gene- and exon-biased, focusing coverage on the most important regions of the genome.

The SurePrint G3 CGH+SNP microarrays use the identical high-throughput workflow as the current CGH-only microarrays so they can be simply and efficiently incorporated into cytogenetic research. Agilent's Genomic Workbench software compliments array analysis by employing novel algorithms to determine copy number changes using CGH probes, to measure allele-specific copy numbers of SNP probes, and to locate regions of LOH/UPD. The software enables concurrent analysis of CGH and SNP data alongside QC metrics for high-confidence data evaluation.

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in chemical analysis, life sciences, electronics and communications. The company's 18,500 employees serve customers in more than 100 countries. Agilent had net revenues of $4.5 billion in fiscal 2009. Information about Agilent is available at http://www.agilent.com.